


Infinite Spectrum

by azurrys



Category: Infinite (Band), K-pop
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-03-07 17:00:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3177418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azurrys/pseuds/azurrys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of unrelated ficlets/vignettes. Various ratings and pairings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sunggyu/Woohyun - hero complex [G]

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, yes, I'm on a posting spree. I've been meaning to throw this together for a while now, but keep putting it off, so what the heck—I'll just post it now before I get too lazy.
> 
> The title is from Infinite's [performance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cheyu8dMypI) at the 2014 MAMAs, and has no bearing on the actual contents. I just needed a name and it fitted well enough c:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loosely based off the Fire Emblem series.

Woohyun winced, trying not to flinch away when Sunggyu dabbed salve on his wound. He’d tried to talk Sunggyu out of it—it wasn’t particularly severe, and they had to use their supplies sparingly—but Sunggyu insisted, as usual. While Woohyun appreciated his concern, he still thought it was unnecessary.

“Shouldn’t we be saving this for something bigger?” Woohyun tried again, although Sunggyu went on ignoring him. “What if we run out just when we need the supplies to save someone’s life? This really isn’t—”

“Because fighting with an injured arm is hardly going to endanger your life,” Sunggyu answered dryly. “We can spare this much salve, Your Highness. Please try to remember that your safety is paramount.”

Woohyun sighed, knowing full well that arguing with Sunggyu when he went into overzealous retainer mode was absolutely useless. “Let me guess, you’re going to tell me to stay off the battlefield from now on. Again.”

“Actually, no, Your Highness. I’ve done that so many times that I know it’s useless. Nowadays I settle for making sure you don’t get mortally injured doing something overly reckless.” Sunggyu put down the salve and reached for the bandages. “Though if you would consent to remove yourself from the battlefield, that would be the best for all of us.”

“Well, what kind of commander would I be if I did that?” Woohyun asked lightly. “I have to ride at the frontlines. You know that as well as me.”

“If you would appoint someone else as commander, Your Highness, you wouldn’t need to,” Sunggyu snapped. “Can you remember for once in your life that you’re a prince and you have a kingdom to return to? Your life doesn’t just belong to you, Your Highness, you need to realise—”

Woohyun cut Sunggyu off midsentence, breathing in the gasp against his mouth. Sunggyu’s eyes were wide when Woohyun pulled away, but at the very least, he wasn’t trying to run away—though Woohyun wasn’t sure whether it was because he was finally getting used to this, or because he was in the middle of bandaging Woohyun’s arm. “I know that,” he said softly. “I do realise I’m responsible for more than just my own life. But I can’t just stand back. Still, that’s what I have you for, right?” Woohyun tried for a smile, reaching up to caress the back of Sunggyu’s neck. Sunggyu still had pieces of his armour on; in the dying campfire, the royal crest emblazoned on the metal seemed to come to life. “Thank you. I owe you my life—I know that, too. I couldn’t be who I am if it wasn’t for you.”

“I’m your knight,” Sunggyu answered quietly. “It’s my duty.” He lowered his head, going silent as he finished bandaging Woohyun’s arm. Woohyun half-expected Sunggyu to leave, but he just turned away instead, staring quietly into the campfire.

“I’m sorry,” Woohyun finally said, after several long moments of silence. “I know I don’t make this easy for you. But this is where I need to be.”

Sunggyu chuffed lightly, leaning forward on his elbows. The firelight caught his hair, scattering lines of red and gold in his brown hair. “Don’t apologise. If I couldn’t handle you, I would have stepped down and had someone more capable take my place. You’re fine just the way you are.” Woohyun saw Sunggyu hesitate briefly, but then he reached over, lightly laying his hand on Woohyun’s newly-bandaged arm. “Though, of course, I do wish that my charge had less of a hero complex.”

“Hero complex?” Woohyun repeated indignantly. Sunggyu’s answering laugh caught him off-guard—and the kiss even more so. Woohyun froze when he felt Sunggyu’s lips against his, only remembering to respond belatedly when Sunggyu slid his arm around his waist. It was rare for Sunggyu to initiate, considering he still had misgivings about their difference in status, but maybe he was finally coming around.

Sunggyu lingered close even after they parted, his breath brushing over Woohyun’s cheek. “Don’t die, Woohyun,” he whispered. Woohyun sighed, leaning in and pressing their foreheads together.

“You won’t let me, anyway.”

Sunggyu was, after all, the one person Woohyun could trust with his life.


	2. Myungsoo/Sungyeol – the world can wait [G]

Myungsoo wakes up slowly. He’s surrounded by warmth, a cocoon of blankets and morning sunlight on his back; he sighs contentedly, burrowing deeper into his pillow. He loves Saturdays.

The pile of blankets next to him shifts, and Myungsoo feels an arm snake around him, ruffling the hair at the back of his head affectionately. “Hey, idiot. It’s almost eleven.”

“Does that matter?” Myungsoo keeps his eyes closed, though he can’t stop the smile from spreading when the hand migrates upwards, messing up his hair further. Sungyeol’s in a really good mood today, because he’s not even poking at Myungsoo to get out of bed so they can get breakfast. Myungsoo sighs again, pressing up into the touch slightly. Sungyeol laughs at that, but doesn’t move away.

“You’re like a cat when you do that.” Sungyeol doesn’t sound like he minds at all, though. Myungsoo feels him shifting again, the bed sinking down as he slides closer, and opens his eyes just a sliver.

Sungyeol’s smile, he thinks, has to be the best thing to wake up to in the morning.

Sungyeol leans in, and Myungsoo kisses him lazily. It’s long and slow and gentle, exactly Myungsoo’s favourite kind of kiss. He’s finally beginning to wake up a little, responding a little more vigorously to Sungyeol’s advances. Sungyeol pulls away from the kiss after a few moments, but before Myungsoo can launch a protest, he’s moving down to his neck, peppering it with light kisses.

Myungsoo laughs (because it _tickles_ ), and Sungyeol’s answering laugh sends warmth through him. Myungsoo tilts his head back up, leaning down awkwardly to kiss him again, tangling their feet together.

“Let’s not get out of bed yet,” he whispers, pressing their foreheads together. Sungyeol’s much better about cuddles in the morning—possibly because it’s a new day and so his cuddle quota has been reset—and Myungsoo intends to take full advantage. True to that, Sungyeol doesn’t say no. He actually pulls Myungsoo closer, smiling.

“A little bit longer,” he agrees.

Some days Myungsoo feels like he loves Sungyeol so much his heart could burst from it. He doesn’t say it, though—he settles for smiling instead, the one that he reserves just for Sungyeol, the one that says _I love you more than anyone else in the world_ and that Sungyeol knows means just that. “You’re amazing,” he says sincerely.

“Then cook me breakfast when we actually do get out of bed,” Sungyeol replies without missing a beat. But he nuzzles a little closer, tightens his grip on Myungsoo, and his words are clear enough without him saying anything.

Myungsoo snuggles in closer, content. The world can wait; right now, there’s just Sungyeol and warm blankets and peace, just the way he wants it. Nothing else can be more perfect.


	3. Woohyun/Sungyeol - don't think about it [PG]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a whole lot of these saved up, so— ~~daily~~ weekly posts until I run out! (Okay, yeah, daily is a bit much. LOL.) By the way, requests can be left at my [ask.fm](http://ask.fm/azurrys), though I can't guarantee when/if they'll be filled c:
> 
> This is actually non-AU, which is pretty rare for me to write.

“Aren’t you afraid, sometimes?”

Woohyun doesn’t bother to turn his head when he hears Sungyeol speak, downing another shot of soju instead. They’re nowhere they should be (hiding out by the Han River when they’re supposed to be asleep with soju they shouldn’t have bought) and Woohyun doesn’t want to think about that, so he doesn’t. “Depends,” he answers, resting his forearms on his knees. “What do you mean by that?”

Sungyeol shrugs, fumbling for the bottle and pouring himself another shot. “Don’t know. Of the future, I guess.”

“Which future?” Woohyun asks before he can catch himself, but decides to fuck that and go on—he’s feeling pleasantly warm despite the cold wind and honestly, he doesn’t even know Sungyeol that well, but he wanted to drink and Woohyun wanted to drink and they both wanted out of the dorm and that’s all that matters. “The one where we never debut? The one where we debut and everyone forgets us anyway? The one where we debut and get famous and everyone loves us for awhile, but then—in the end—we get thrown aside and forgotten all over again?”

He’s expecting some caustic reply about his negativity, or even an admonishment about it, but that just proves he’s been hanging around Dongwoo and Howon (should he be calling him Hoya?) too much, because Sungyeol does neither. He’s just quiet, though Woohyun hears his glass clink against the bottle and assumes he put it down. “All of them?” he offers, and Woohyun turns around then. Sungyeol’s face is a little flushed, and he’s staring straight ahead. “I… well, I don’t really know. I’m not sure.”

“Is there anything you’re sure of?” Woohyun asks, but realises he sounded a little too sharp when Sungyeol flinches. He doesn’t apologise anyway.

“Not much,” Sungyeol replies quietly. Woohyun notices how his words aren’t slurred at all, even though he’s been drinking as much as Woohyun. Brow furrowing, Woohyun reaches for Sungyeol’s shot glass—it’s empty, so he refills it and shoves it into Sungyeol’s hand.

“Drink, then.”

Sungyeol blinks, turning around to look at him. Woohyun impatiently gestures at his glass, clinking it against his own. “Drink. If you’re not really sure of anything, drink until you are.”

“I don’t think that will help,” Sungyeol replies, tone dry. But he downs the shot anyway, and Woohyun smiles. “You’re a weird drunk, Woohyun.”

“I’m not drunk. And that’s hyung to you.” Woohyun turns back to stare at the river again. It’s pitch black at this time of the night, the lights from the opposite shore drifting lazily in the water.

“Your words are merging into each other—what’s that called? Whatever. You’re drunk.”

“Shut up, Sungyeol.”

Sungyeol actually does, surprisingly. Woohyun hears him put his glass down again, and huffs out a sigh. Clearly, he won’t take Woohyun’s advice.

“Do you ever feel afraid?” The silence only lasts a few seconds longer before Sungyeol breaks it again. Then again, Woohyun knew he would. He gives a half-shrug in reply, leaning back as far as he can while still staying upright, supporting himself with his arms.

“Of course.” Woohyun’s not sure there are any days where he’s not afraid anymore—afraid of never moving beyond where he’s standing right now, afraid of stepping forward and finding out he’s not good enough (he already knows he doesn’t sing as well as Sunggyu or dance as well as Hoya or look as good as Myungsoo) and that he’ll be forgotten, cast away, ignored. He doesn’t know anymore.

“So what do you do?” Sungyeol’s voice is hardly more than a whisper. Woohyun sighs loudly, flopping backwards onto the grass. When he stares up at the sky, there are no stars. The city lights are too bright.

“I don’t think about it.”

“But then aren’t you still afraid when you wake up the next day?” Why does Sungyeol have so many questions? Woohyun rolls over, narrowing his eyes at him.

“Yes. Then I don’t think about it again. That’s all. Pour me some soju.”

“Your manners get worse when you’re drunk, too.” Sungyeol obliges, though, and Woohyun mutters a vague thank you when he feels the shot glass being pushed into his hand. He downs it in one go, determined to go on drinking until he can’t think anymore.

The managers will kill them (even though they’re nobodies right now one day they’ll be _somebodies_ , they keep saying, and then things like these can’t get out) and they have practice at five tomorrow and it’s so far past midnight Woohyun has no idea what time it is, but he doesn’t want to go back to the too-small dorm that’s stifling in all the dreams the six other boys his age share (with him). He just wants to forget for one night and not think about it and tomorrow—tomorrow, he’ll dance and sing and work out and pretend tonight never happened. Because Woohyun knows he needs to be perfect and what he’s doing right now doesn’t fit into that neat box.

“Don’t drink anymore. I’m not carrying you back to the dorm.” For some reason, that makes Woohyun laugh. Maybe Sungyeol’s right—he’s drunk.

“Whatever. Whether they find us here or in there, we’re dead. Just don’t think about it.”

Sungyeol laughs softly. “Okay. I won’t.” He pauses briefly, then adds, “Thank you, hyung.” Woohyun thinks that was rather sudden—where did it come from?—but decides not to ask.

He sighs, blinking up at the dark, starless sky, and doesn’t think about it.


	4. OT7 - puppy pile [PG-13]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set in a harem 'verse with Myungsoo as the prince and harem centre who encourages his harem to love each other as much as they love him. Slight Myungyeol focus. Also, update days are Fridays from now on with possible mid-week updates c:

“This bed,” Sungyeol says in dissatisfaction, “has _nothing_ on our old one.”

His words are met with a series of huffs and groans, and someone throws a pillow at him. Indignantly, Sungyeol tosses it back, not really caring whether it hits the original thrower or not. “What? It’s true! It’s not the same. It doesn’t have nearly as much room and Dongwoo’s foot is on my stomach—”

“It _is_?” Dongwoo asks, sounding horrified. “I thought you were a pillow! Sorry, Yeollie.” Despite his tone, though, his foot doesn’t move. It takes everything in Sungyeol to resist the urge to tickle the underside, and the only reason he doesn’t is because he thinks Dongwoo might accidentally kick him if he does.

“And we’re squashed together in a puppy pile because we don’t have enough space to stretch out, and every time someone moves I can feel the _entire_ bed shift, and I’ll never be able to get to sleep,” Sungyeol finishes sulkily. Someone’s hand is running through his hair, but he can’t tell whose it is.

“Calm down, hyung,” Sungjong says mildly. “It’s just for a night or two. The new bed’s already being made, so just be patient and try to settle down.”

There’s a patronising hint to Sungjong’s words, but he’s at the opposite end of said puppy pile and Sungyeol doesn’t want to climb over three people just to extract his revenge, so he decides to let it go. He pouts instead, though he’s not sure whether Sungjong can even see him. Sunggyu picks it up when Sungyeol doesn’t reply, and Sungyeol can feel him shifting from the other end of the bed. “Anyway,” Sunggyu adds, “Myungsoo doesn’t seem to mind so much.”

Well, of course not. Myungsoo can sleep through tornadoes and hurricanes and Woohyun and Dongwoo having wild bunny sex next to him and he slept through their old bed falling apart when Dongwoo, Hoya, Sunggyu and Woohyun apparently took it into their minds to have multiple very wild and very violent rounds of sex that were enough to break the bedframe. Sungyeol would have blamed the bed breaking on them if Sungjong hadn’t pointed out rationally that they’d all at various points done their best to destroy the bedframe. It had probably been on the verge of falling apart anyway. But Sungyeol is still sore because of course the bed would give out the night before their designated group night, and now they’ve had to settle for a subpar bed because Myungsoo didn’t want to put it off—and nobody says no to Myungsoo. 

Most of their attempts at sex had been short-lived, mainly because someone inevitably fell off or kicked someone else or elbowed someone in the eye but nobody wanted to do it on the floor, so that was how they’d ended up like this instead: in a massive group cuddle-slash-puppy pile with Myungsoo in the centre, the only one who didn’t seem to mind the situation they were in.

Sungyeol’s gearing up for his retort when Myungsoo interrupts his thoughts with a huge sigh, rolling over so he can meet Sungyeol’s gaze. “Is it that bad?” he asks, and fine—Sungyeol feels just a tiny bit guilty for complaining so much when he sees the doubt in Myungsoo’s eyes. “Should we have put it off after all?”

Sungyeol feels as helpless as ever to resist him, so he doesn’t even try. Instead, he climbs over Woohyun to kiss Myungsoo, ignoring the grumble he gets when Woohyun wriggles out from where he’s trapped beneath them. Now that there’s no obstacle between him and Myungsoo, Sungyeol pulls him closer, and Myungsoo nuzzles into his neck in response. Hoya’s pressed up against Myungsoo’s other side, spooning him, so Sungyeol throws his arm around them both (even though it’s awkward) and leans in to kiss the top of Myungsoo’s head. “No, don’t worry about it. I mean, the bed really isn’t big enough for all of us, but I can get used to it… as long as Woohyun stops poking me in the back to tell me to get off you. You had your turn, Nam, go cuddle with Dongwoo instead.”

“Mm. Go do that, Woohyun.” Myungsoo sighs contentedly, relaxing in Sungyeol’s grip.

“Favouritism,” Woohyun accuses, but Sungyeol feels him kiss the back of his neck before leaning over to brush an equally quick kiss across Myungsoo’s cheek, finally drawing back after that. He can feel Woohyun and Dongwoo shifting behind him while they settle into a comfortable position, but he’s too lazy to crane his head around to look. Myungsoo’s warm and soft and comfy against him and Hoya’s taken over stroking his hair, his foot nudging Sungyeol’s leg where it’s crossed over Myungsoo’s.

“There. Is that so bad, hyung?” Sungjong asks, and Sungyeol would make a face at him if that didn’t mean pulling away from Myungsoo. Sungyeol isn’t as big on cuddling as Myungsoo is, but there’s no way he’s going to let go of Myungsoo when he’s comfortably nestled in the crook of Sungyeol’s neck.

“Fine. You can have this one. I’ll get you back for it some other time.”

Peace settles over them after that, and although Sungyeol can still feel it every time someone shifts and he thinks Woohyun and Dongwoo might have started making out behind him (though they’re being pretty quiet for a change), he actually thinks he might be able to fall asleep. Myungsoo’s already lost to the world, his breaths warm and even on his skin and radiating comforting warmth where he’s pressed up against Sungyeol’s chest. Sighing softly, Sungyeol closes his eyes, starting to think this isn’t so bad after all.

That is, until he hears a loud yelp from behind him and the bed wobbles violently, accompanied by two very loud crashes and the sound of Woohyun swearing loudly. Sungyeol groans aloud and he hears Sunggyu start up an annoyed complaint too, another pillow sailing over his head.

“ _Why_ did you do that? Get back on the bed and stop messing around or find another room and let the rest of us sleep!” Sunggyu’s probably trying to sound commanding, but he just comes off as grumpy. Sungyeol tries to ignore the squabble starting above his head while Dongwoo and Woohyun climb back onto the bed, wishing he could plug his ears.

Okay, even though the situation isn’t all bad—Sungyeol can’t _wait_ until they get their new bed.


	5. Woohyun/Sungyeol, Sunggyu/Woohyun, Sungyeol/Myungsoo - the stars are watching [G]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **tw: cheating**

The stars are watching.

Woohyun kisses Sungyeol desperately, their mouths crashing down each other in an ugly tangle of longing and pain and misery; Sungyeol’s fingers scrabble at his skin, tearing off his tie, but never leaving even the hint of a scratch. They don’t say anything, because even a word would mean having to acknowledge that this is _real_ —that they’re doing what they’re doing.

In this very moment Sunggyu is waiting for him at home, ever patient under his grumpiness. He’ll greet Woohyun with a kiss and not even notice that Woohyun’s mouth tastes of Sungyeol’s come and that his skin smells like sweat and Sungyeol’s cologne (Woohyun cleans up before he leaves, always, but sometimes he feels like the scent is imprinted on his skin). Myungsoo will be here later, will walk over the same doorstep Woohyun did two hours ago and never know that he was here.

They’re always so careful but it’s not enough. Woohyun loved this so much at first, the thrill of an affair with a man as taken as he is, the spark of variety in a life that was slowing down a bit too much for him. But now he’s lost and floundering and doesn’t know what to _feel_ anymore when he looks at Sungyeol and feels that tug, the same tug he felt with Sunggyu, the same tug _he still feels with Sunggyu_. When he looks at the way Sungyeol watches Myungsoo, fond and affectionate, but Sungyeol still answers his kisses with the same heat that drew him like the figurative moth to the flame.

He kisses and touches and tugs at Sungyeol’s hair when Sungyeol sinks to his knees, occupying his mouth so he doesn’t need to bother saying a word. He returns the favour later, but makes sure never to hold too tightly, press too hard, because Sungyeol bruises easily and he can’t let Myungsoo know something is wrong.

He leaves half an hour later, neat and clean and perfect all over again, Sungyeol’s touch still lingering when he kisses him just before he steps out the door. Nobody saw them. Nobody knows this is happening. Woohyun will go back to Sunggyu and Myungsoo will come home to Sungyeol and nobody, nobody, nobody will ever know.

 _But the stars are watching_.


	6. Sunggyu/Woohyun - at dawn [PG]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha, oops. Friday flew over my head, but here's a slightly-belated update to make up. Plus it's the 8th of February in SK, so happy birthday, Woohyun! <3

Sunggyu doesn’t quite wake up when the sheets shift, making a garbled noise and burying his face deeper in the pillow. Woohyun bites back a laugh—when Sunggyu’s awake, he never lets Woohyun forget who’s in charge (or does his best to prove so, at least), but when he’s asleep he’s pretty much just a massive teddy bear. He carefully pulls the blankets up over Sunggyu’s shoulder when he gets out of bed, fingers lingering on his cheek momentarily before he forces himself to go straighten up in the bathroom.

Sunggyu is still asleep by the time Woohyun’s dressed, knotting his tie in the mirror and sneaking glances at Sunggyu in the reflection. He’s sort of amused that Sunggyu slept through the shower, the bottle of shampoo he knocked over, and the hairdryer—but he can’t say he’s surprised either. Sunggyu could probably sleep through a tornado. He’d only wake up if something crashed through the wall and fell dangerously close to his person.

Making sure his tie is perfectly straight, Woohyun clips on the tiepin and smoothes his hair out before going over to the bed again, grabbing his briefcase from the bedside table. As usual, he takes a moment to look at Sunggyu, still blissfully asleep.

“I’m going now, hyung,” he murmurs, leaning over. Sunggyu stirs slightly when Woohyun rubs a thumb over his cheek, catching Woohyun by surprise when he reaches up to cover Woohyun’s hand with his own.

“Wha’time is it,” he mumbles, peering vaguely at Woohyun. His eyes are little more than slits (moreso than usual, anyway) when he looks up, blinking away sleep.

“Five-thirty,” Woohyun answers, carefully sitting down on the edge of the bed. A couple of minutes more won’t hurt. “You don’t need to wake up yet, hyung. Get a bit more sleep.”

Sunggyu grunts unintelligibly again, brow creasing. “The sun’s not up yet. Why are you going to the office so early? It was past one when we slept yesterday.” His words are more coherent now, at least. Woohyun shrugs helplessly.

“I told you about the seven o’clock meeting, hyung. You know that I need to prepare for it.” He leans closer, pressing a quick kiss to Sunggyu’s forehead. Sunggyu makes a ridiculously unattractive scrunchy face when he does that, but Woohyun knows he likes it. He doesn’t object when Sunggyu sinks a hand into his hair, carding through the slightly-damp strands.

“You work too hard,” Sunggyu mumbles, hand sliding downwards to curl around the nape of Woohyun’s neck. “It’s _Friday_ , Woohyun-ah. When did you last sleep in?”

Woohyun laughs. “Friday’s still a weekday, hyung. And I sleep in on Sundays. You should know that.”

“It’s only every other Sunday, or every third. You plan _business trips_ over weekends.” Sunggyu’s voice is tinted with disdain, like he absolutely can’t understand why Woohyun won’t plan them on Wednesdays.

“Because, hyung, I have other obligations during the week. You know that too.” Sunggyu does, obviously, but that doesn’t stop him from looking disapproving every time Woohyun tells him he’s planned a weekend trip.

“You have obligations on weekends too,” Sunggyu argues, narrowing his eyes further. “To your health, for example. You should actually get a proper night’s sleep.”

“And here I was sure you were going to mention Sunday morning breakfasts,” Woohyun teases, and he gets a smile for that.

“Well, those are good too. But maybe Sunday afternoon lunches are more appropriate.” The way Sunggyu says it (completely casual and still half-asleep) makes Woohyun bite his lip. He’s about to make a half-crack about it not being the time for that when Sunggyu sighs, yanking Woohyun closer and burrowing into the blankets again.

Woohyun can’t resist staying there for a few more minutes, reaching over to play with Sunggyu’s hair while he watches Sunggyu start falling asleep all over again. When he finally brings himself to check his watch, he has to regretfully conclude that he’s probably wasted a little too much time. “I have to go now if I want to be at the office by six, hyung.”

Sunggyu makes an inarticulate grunt, but releases Woohyun. A little reluctant, Woohyun brushes his hair back again before standing up to retrieve his briefcase. “I’ll see you for dinner, hyung,” he tells Sunggyu, who makes another vague noise in his sleep.

If everything goes well, he might be able to grab lunch with Sunggyu. Sunggyu, he knows, is probably going to spend the day stewing in front of the computer writing and rewriting the same one-page scene he’s been working on for weeks (as he’s lamented repeatedly to Woohyun). Woohyun’s pretty sure he’ll welcome the break—though knowing Sunggyu, it’ll be today when he finally gets that scene behind him and Woohyun won’t be able to pry him from his desk.

Snorting mentally, Woohyun closes the door behind him. It’s still worth a try. Either way, there’ll always be dinner to look forward to.


	7. Sungyeol/Myungsoo – perfect [PG]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy (belated) Valentine's Day! I need to remember to update on Fridays.

“I don’t recall ever having given you permission to make me your model,” Sungyeol says dryly, seeing the camera flash from the corner of his eye. Myungsoo grins a little sheepishly, but lifts his camera again anyway. Sungyeol promptly makes a ridiculous face, and Myungsoo laughs this time as he takes the picture.

“You look good,” he answers, and Sungyeol breaks out into a laugh.

“You’re saying that right after I made _that_ face? Myungsoo, I know you love me, but you don’t love me that much.”

“That’s true. You look super ugly in this,” Myungsoo tells him seriously, and Sungyeol reaches towards his side threateningly. “But you’re good-looking most of the time!” Myungsoo adds hurriedly, hugging his camera to his chest defensively and backing away before Sungyeol can tickle him.

Sungyeol scoffs, wrapping an arm around Myungsoo’s shoulder and craning his neck. “Let me see that! You probably have a thousand embarrassing photos of me.”

“You volunteered that one!” Myungsoo counters, but he shows the screen to Sungyeol anyway. Admittedly, Sungyeol knew what he’d see (he’s practiced this face in the mirror a thousand times), but he looks extra stupid in the picture. Myungsoo has a real talent for bringing out the innate qualities in a person, it seems.

“I don’t know whether to tell you you’re a good photographer or a horrible person for wanting to embarrass me,” Sungyeol says, shaking his head.

“The first,” Myungsoo answers earnestly, and Sungyeol immediately ruffles his hair in retaliation. Myungsoo likes it well enough, though, half-heartedly shoving Sungyeol away and laughing, so it’s not really an effective punishment.

“Okay. You’re a good photographer, but a bad boyfriend. Are you collecting ammunition to blackmail me?” Sungyeol demands.

“ _No_ ,” Myungsoo replies, appalled. “Why would I even do that? And besides, I have worse things than photos, like—”

“We’re not talking about that one in public! We’re on the street!” Sungyeol hisses. “Anyway, you’re in it too! That’s like—what’s that proverb about cutting off your tongue?”

“Is there a proverb about that?” Myungsoo wonders aloud, and Sungyeol rolls his eyes.

“Whatever. You know what I mean. Now can we not discuss that unless we’re in our bedroom?”

“Okay,” Myungsoo agrees easily, leaning back into Sungyeol. “Hey, look at this one.”

Sungyeol leans over, squinting. “Cute. Whose cat?”

“A stray. She was really friendly, though. That’s why it came out so well.” Myungsoo continues clicking through the photos, and Sungyeol’s always thought that there’s so much of Myungsoo to be found in his camera alone—in what pictures he’s taken and what he’s chosen to keep. Sungyeol sees kids playing in the park and the view from their apartment window and the sky when the sun’s just setting, pictures of all their friends that he took at their last big gathering, and honestly… far too many of him than should be healthy.

“You should pay me a modelling fee,” Sungyeol tells Myungsoo, as he quickly clicks through a series of photos of Sungyeol sprawled out asleep on the bed. “I didn’t even give you consent to take some of these!”

“Well… if there’s something you really, really, really don’t like, I’ll delete it?” Myungsoo offers reluctantly, looking longingly at one of the photos he’s paused on. Sungyeol looks closely at it—it’s of him again, of course, still one of the photos of him asleep. He wonders if Myungsoo goes around setting everything up before taking his photos, because it seems a little too perfect. The sunlight’s striking him just right, bringing out a touch of warmth in his hair; the blanket’s not arranged artistically, but is somehow just the right amount of messy; even his hair, he thinks dryly, is falling over his cheek like he’s a model in a photoshoot and someone carefully placed that lock of hair there. Maybe Myungsoo really did do that, except Sungyeol thinks he’s a light enough sleeper than he’d wake up if he did—even if apparently he slept through all the photo-taking.

It’s actually a little weird looking at photos of himself like this, because Sungyeol swears he doesn’t look this good in the mirror. He has no idea how Myungsoo does it. It makes pride swell in his heart to think that—Myungsoo is _really_ good!—but at the same time, it’s a little surreal.

“You can keep them,” Sungyeol concedes, and Myungsoo brightens up, a grin breaking over his face.

“I’ll buy you coffee,” he promises, lowering the camera. He tilts his head up, and it’s more than obvious what he wants, so Sungyeol leans down to kiss him again.

“But seriously,” Sungyeol starts, after Myungsoo’s stolen another two kisses from him, “why are there so many photos of me? You see me every day. That should be enough, right?”

Myungsoo sighs, glancing down at his camera. “I think that’s why there are so many,” he admits. “Because I see you every day. You always look really good, so every time I see you, I want to take a photo.” He smiles, soft and barely-there, and Sungyeol bites his bottom lip. _Myungsoo_.

“How do I even put up with you?” Sungyeol mumbles, well aware that he’s blushing. “You’re biased, you know. I give you sex.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with this,” Myungsoo objects. “You’re just… really perfect. I want to capture that, I suppose.”

Okay. This cannot be an appropriate conversation to be having while they’re standing on the sidewalk among throngs of people. But Myungsoo sounds so absolutely sincere. Sungyeol swallows around the lump in his throat, tightening his arm around Myungsoo. Fuck, that’s just… it’s flattering, but it’s kind of scary, because he’s _not_ that great. Except Myungsoo thinks he’s that great. It’s really sweet, but Sungyeol has no idea how he’s going to live up to expectations like that. “You’re impossible,” he mumbles, staring at the ground. “And when were you so cheesy, anyway?”

“I’m serious!” Myungsoo protests. Sungyeol raises his eyes briefly, and he realises that Myungsoo’s cheeks are red. At least that means he’s embarrassed about what he’s spouting, too. “You really are—you know.” Now Myungsoo’s staring at the ground too, and Sungyeol can’t help laughing a little. They’re both hopeless.

Glancing around surreptitiously, Sungyeol leans in, kissing Myungsoo quickly. They’re already being pretty daring, because Myungsoo just isn’t the type to hide it when he wants affection and Sungyeol can never resist. “God damn it. How are you like this?” Myungsoo smiles hesitantly at the obvious fondness in Sungyeol’s tone. “I love you, you idiot.” The words aren’t actually enough at all. Sungyeol loves Myungsoo so much it scares him—he thinks he might love him more than anyone else he’s ever loved in his life and every day he spends with Myungsoo he falls in love a little more anyway. Myungsoo seems to understand, though, if the smile he gives Sungyeol is any indication.

It should be awkward, the fact that they’re huddled together on a street corner while life goes on around them, the occasional passer-by throwing them an odd look before moving on. But Myungsoo leans in, whispering “I love you too” and nothing else in the world seems to matter.

Sungyeol pulls Myungsoo a little closer, exhaling. He thinks he’s the luckiest person in the world—Myungsoo can tell him he’s perfect, but Sungyeol’s pretty sure he knows the real truth. It’s Myungsoo who’s perfect, so amazing Sungyeol still has no idea why Myungsoo’s in love with him of all people, why Myungsoo chose _him_ when he could’ve had anyone he wanted (because Sungyeol’s sure that even a fool wouldn’t be stupid enough to turn down someone like Myungsoo). But he has Myungsoo. That’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him in his life.

“So,” Myungsoo starts again, smiling hesitantly, “should I go get you your first paycheck?”

Sungyeol blinks in surprise, broken out of his thoughts, and Myungsoo laughs in that way that makes his eyes crinkle up. He’s so cute Sungyeol could die. “Place your order,” he demands, and Sungyeol grins.

“You know what I want. Go get it.”

“Fine, princess. One iced Americano coming right up. Don’t go away.” Myungsoo leans in, giving Sungyeol a quick peck on the lips before pulling away. Sungyeol watches as he walks away, lifting his camera to take a picture of the traffic.

Sungyeol laughs when he turns around abruptly at the edge of the sidewalk, waving cheekily before pointing his camera at Sungyeol. Sungyeol blows a kiss, making Myungsoo laugh from behind the viewfinder, and he finally turns back to actually cross the street.

Sungyeol leans back against the wall, trying not to grin like an idiot (but failing pretty badly, and not really caring). He has the best boyfriend in the world.


	8. Myungsoo/Sungyeol/Woohyun - weekend mornings [R]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the huge delay between updates! I've gotten pretty busy, so I can't update regularly anymore. That said, this is kind of a lie of an update because I wrote this... last year-ish and it's a de-anon from infinitememe originally posted [here](http://infinitememe.livejournal.com/2911.html?thread=435295#t435295). I wanted to hold off from de-anoning until I wrote a sequel but eh, it's been so long that I might as well post this damn thing and put the sequel up separately if I ever get around to it.
> 
> Also, while updates will be slow from now on until my semester ends, I'm still writing so they're not likely to stop completely <3

Myungsoo wakes up to a cold draft on his bare back. Grimacing, he reaches around to tug the comforter back up, sighing when it settles in place. Damn it, he thought he was in the middle. Did he roll over? “Sungyeol?” he mumbles experimentally, burying his face in the pillow. He doesn’t get a response—no shifting, no ‘so you’re finally awake, idiot’—so he concludes that Sungyeol’s probably already out of bed. He reaches forward instead, vaguely groping around and feeling nothing but mostly-cool sheets. Damn. Woohyun’s gone too.

“What happened to sleeping in on weekends?” he asks the empty room dryly, forcing his eyes open. Thankfully, the curtains are still drawn, so he’s not immediately assaulted by too much light to handle. In fact, the room’s still completely dark and the air-con’s running at full speed—it’s like Sungyeol and Woohyun both got out of bed meaning to come back, or they’d have woken him up (and Myungsoo knows first-hand that they’re both _very_ merciless and will stop at nothing when they want him awake).

It’s weird, though. It’s normal enough for one or the other of them to wake up early, but both? They’d usually wake him up in that case. Well, whatever. The only way to really find out is to get out of bed. If only it wasn’t so goddamn _cold_.

Finally, Myungsoo bravely pokes a toe out of the comforter, immediately flinching at how ridiculously icy it is and retreating hurriedly. (It’s Sungyeol’s fault—he insists that it’s necessary because Myungsoo ‘gives off more heat than should be humanly possible’, which Myungsoo doesn’t agree with because then he shouldn’t feel like he’ll freeze to death the moment he gets out of bed.) Eventually, after a couple more false tries, Myungsoo scrambles out from under the blanket and into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

“That had better have been worth it,” he grumbles, groping for his toothbrush. Sungyeol’s and Woohyun’s are both out of their cups _again_ , so he puts them back. They’ll never remember that they’re supposed to put their toothbrushes back after using them. He gets washed up and dressed quickly (feeling really thankful that he had an outfit behind the door, because he didn’t turn off the air-conditioner before coming in) before venturing out of the bathroom and downstairs.

The first thing that greets him when he reaches the bottom of the stairs is the smell of coffee. (Now he knows who woke up first.) He’s in the process of sneaking as quietly as he can down the hallway to the kitchen, hopefully to pounce on Sungyeol from behind and freak the fuck out of him, when he hears laughter from the living room.

“No, not there, you idiot, are you trying to turn me on or make me laugh?” That’s Sungyeol’s voice, but he can hear Woohyun’s laughter joining in.

“Both. Think I can’t do it?”

Sungyeol’s laughter slips into a moan, one that sends a shiver of heat down Myungsoo’s spine. “No. I mean, yes. No, I mean—okay, yeah, that’s a lot better. Go on doing that.”

“You’re so easy.” Woohyun’s tone is affectionate, though. Myungsoo’s torn between being amused and aroused at the extremely audible kiss that follows, mingled with Sungyeol’s half-formed moans and a vague mumble of ‘goddammit, your belt’s stuck’. Suppressing a smile, Myungsoo slips into the kitchen.

Sure enough, Sungyeol’s made a new pot of coffee, and there’s a half-full mug already on the counter. Myungsoo considers refilling it, but ends up deciding against it, grabbing three new mugs instead and a tray. He takes a sip of his coffee before filling the others mugs, sighing at the warm buzz. There’s nothing quite like Sungyeol’s coffee. Woohyun’s the only idiot in this house who can’t appreciate how good it tastes black.

Myungsoo makes sure to dump extra sugar and cream into Woohyun’s mug before picking the tray up carefully. He smirks when he nudges the door open with his foot and the first thing he hears is Sungyeol moaning loudly, something that sounds like ‘Woohyun’ and ‘fuck’ and ‘right there’. It seems like they escalated quickly. The living room door’s only slightly ajar, so Myungsoo uses his foot again to shove it open, peering in.

Sungyeol’s bent backwards over the couch, arms wound tightly around Woohyun and his face buried in his neck. Woohyun looks like he’s holding Sungyeol up, but Myungsoo can’t be sure. As far as he’s concerned, he’s seeing far too little of this. Not bothering to shut the door behind him, Myungsoo walks in directly, smiling when both heads immediately swivel around to look over at him.

“Hey,” Sungyeol greets vaguely, botching his pronunciation entirely when Woohyun thrusts forward and he bites his lip. “Good morning. Um—oh, _fuck_.”

“You’re up early,” Woohyun says, sounding somewhat more coherent than Sungyeol. Not by much, though. Myungsoo shrugs, setting the tray down on the table and walking around the couch.

“You’re up earlier,” he answers, slowly admiring the view from top to bottom. Sungyeol’s long, pale legs are wound around Woohyun’s waist, and Woohyun’s hitching him up with his hands under his thighs. They’re both only naked from the waist-down—he expected as much, considering how quickly they progressed from making out to fucking—but it’s possibly an even more tantalising sight, with how much skin is being covered when he wants to see it all. “And also busy, I see.”

“Want in?” Woohyun asks with a grin, thrusting forward again to make Sungyeol swear and clutch at his shoulders. “Sungyeol’s mouth is unoccupied.”

“Can I please have a say in this?” Sungyeol groans, and Woohyun shuts him up with a kiss. Myungsoo watches the way their tongues tangle through the open-mouthed kiss, inhaling deeply. They’re both panting by the time Woohyun pulls away, but Sungyeol still adds, “And my mouth is plenty occupied.”

“Don’t make me,” Woohyun teases. “Will you ever say no to Myungsoo?” Sungyeol makes a face, but doesn’t bother denying it.

Myungsoo smiles, shaking his head. “No, it’s okay. I think…” He glances over, pulling over their footstool and straddling it, aware of the way both pairs of eyes follow his movements. “I’ll just watch,” he says, voice a little husky.

The heated look that he gets for his words is well worth it. “You always have the best ideas,” Sungyeol tells him seriously. Myungsoo grins, licking his lips deliberately just because.

“Thank you. So, are you going to…?”

“Yes,” Woohyun cuts in, and from the way Sungyeol moans readily, he’s definitely doing something right.

Myungsoo reaches down to fumble with his tightening jeans, never taking his eyes off Sungyeol and Woohyun. God, he loves weekend mornings.


	9. OT7 - get a room [PG-13]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set in the same harem 'verse as [puppy pile](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3177418/chapters/7006652). I have no idea why the OT7 fics keep ending up being from Sungyeol's POV |D

Sungyeol starts giggling when Sungjong mouths down his neck, for no apparent reason—Sungjong’s really good at it and it feels really good, but for some reason he feels drunk and giddy on all the little touches and kisses and that just makes him laugh. He’s expecting Sungjong to pull up any moment now with that look on his face and tell him, “Shut up, Sungyeol-hyung, only Myungsoo loves you no matter what you do”—but surprisingly, he just continues. Sungyeol finds out that the method works pretty well when Sungjong licks a long strip down Sungyeol’s collarbone and his laughter turns into a surprised moan.

“You’re such an idiot, hyung.” Sungjong’s voice is affectionate, though, and Sungyeol smiles sweetly down at their youngest as he starts sneaking a hand up his shirt.

“You love me for it.” Sungyeol leans in to kiss Sungjong, long and deep, and the hungry way Sungjong responds has heat stirring in his belly. God, Sungjong is too tempting for his own good.

“Bedroom,” he gasps when they break away, and Sungjong nods in agreement. They half-stumble down the corridor (because Sungyeol’s trying to walk while still keeping his hand up Sungjong’s shirt and Sungjong’s trying to get him to take his hands off him, though not very hard) and they’re both laughing by the time they get the door open, stumbling in.

“Oh god, idiots, learn how to knock,” Woohyun’s exasperated voice interrupts them, and Sungyeol glances up in surprise. He breaks out into more laughter when he sees Woohyun draped shamelessly over Sunggyu, clinging to him in a way that would put Myungsoo would shame (and take his word for it, that’s hard) and so obviously doing things to Sunggyu (or getting things done to him, Sungyeol can’t tell) that are exactly what Sungyeol and Sungjong are doing and it _would_ be in the room that they both walk into and Sungyeol finds it _hilarious_ —

“Lee Sungyeol,” Sunggyu starts slowly, sitting up in spite of Woohyun’s whined protests, “why are you drunk at eleven o’clock on a Tuesday morning?”

“Drunk?” Sungyeol repeats, befuddled. “I’m not drunk! All I had was coffee.” He giggles again, though, when he notices that Sunggyu’s hand is all over Woohyun’s ass and he’s sure Woohyun knows but Sunggyu hasn’t even noticed yet. Woohyun’s such a sneaky bastard.

“Oh god, so you’re high on caffeine. That might be worse.” Woohyun rolls his eyes, dropping his head onto Sunggyu’s chest and curling closer possessively. “Go get a room, you two.”

“We’re _in_ a room, hyung,” Sungjong points out rationally, and Woohyun waves him off.

“A different room! Another room! You know what I mean, smartass.” Sunggyu’s probably about to add his own opinion, but Woohyun starts sucking a mark into his neck and his attention ends up diverted.

“I do, I just don’t see the logic behind it,” Sungjong answers calmly. “It’s a big room, hyung. Why do we need to move? It’s not as if we have anything to hide.” The statement is a veiled challenge, Sungyeol can tell, and from the way Woohyun’s eyes narrow he knows too.

“No, we don’t, but do you know that I was _this_ close to getting Gyu-hyung into the right mood to fuck me from behind? Do you know how hard it is to coax him into that?” Sunggyu chokes at Woohyun’s frank words, and Sungyeol laughs again. Sunggyu throws him a baleful glare, and he immediately schools his face into one of perfect innocence.

“Not really. I can get him to do it whenever I want.” Alright, now that’s definitely a challenge. Woohyun’s actually starting to extract himself from Sunggyu—holy shit, he’s actually giving up on his original goal?—and he’s obviously gearing up for his retort and—

“Sungyeollie?” Myungsoo’s plaintive voice interrupts them from the door, and all heads in the room immediately turn to him (in hindsight, Sungyeol thinks they must have looked ridiculous, although it’s true that they all respond pretty much instantly to anything Myungsoo says). Myungsoo’s holding a mug, and it takes Sungyeol a moment to recognise it as his. “Oh, good, you’re here. Yeol, someone spiked the coffee this morning. How much did you drink?”

“Oh,” Sungjong replies sagely, and Sungyeol starts laughing all over again. He thought his coffee tasted weird!

“I _knew_ he was drunk,” Sunggyu groans.

“Just what I need, a drunk Sungyeol interrupting my plans for the morning,” Woohyun grumbles, but Sungyeol notices that he’s still settled very comfortably between Sunggyu’s legs and Sunggyu’s hand is still on his ass, so he doesn’t think he’s interrupted much. For some reason that sets him off laughing again, and Myungsoo gives him an appraising look.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter how much you drank. It’s clearly too much.” Myungsoo sighs, but his next move is just to put the mug down on the mantelpiece and walk inside, closing the door behind him.

“Myungsoo?” Sungyeol asks in confusion, and for some reason that makes Myungsoo’s face crinkle up in a smile.

“Well, nothing we can do about it, right? So we might as well make good use of the morning.”

Sungyeol smiles wickedly at that, because drunk or not—he never turns down an offer from Myungsoo.

-

As it turns out, Woohyun gets his wish and then some, because Sunggyu fucks him like he wanted (probably harder than he needed to, if Woohyun’s swears and moans were anything to go by) and, for some odd reason, he orders Sungyeol to do the same after Sunggyu’s finished with him, so Sungyeol obliges. He really doesn’t get it because he’s pretty sure Woohyun’s ass must hurt after what Sunggyu did to him, but well, he doesn’t really turn down Woohyun’s offers either.

Amusingly enough, despite all the swapping that went on during the actual sex, when everything’s over Sungyeol finds Sungjong nuzzling into his side and turns his head to see Woohyun sprawled all over Sunggyu again, Sunggyu drawing him closer with an arm around his waist. Myungsoo’s lying between them, one of his hands linked with Sunggyu’s while he clings to Sungjong with his other arm. It’s warm and comfy and Sungyeol’s feeling completely sated, so he’s not surprised when he feels sleep starting to creep up on him.

It takes them all by surprise when the door slams open. Woohyun makes a vague noise of protest from where he’s trying to melt into Sunggyu (seriously, why is he being cuddlier than Myungsoo today?) and lifts his head again, glaring. Sungyeol looks over, his eyes immediately focusing on the way Hoya has Dongwoo pressed up against the wall rather than their surprised expressions.

“So _this_ is where you all went!” Dongwoo proclaims, sounding a little reproachful. “I couldn’t find any of you! How could you all leave us out? That’s just so mean!”

Woohyun groans audibly, and Sungjong throws a pillow at them. “God, get a room!” Woohyun yells, and that sets Sungyeol off laughing again.

Eventually, Dongwoo and Hoya end up joining them in the pile on the floor, and Sungyeol has a nice time lazing on his side while he watches them make out (they’re going so slowly, how even?). He sees Myungsoo shuffle over to join them, giving them both kisses in apology and letting them shove him down. He ends up falling asleep before anything really happens, but well, he’s pretty sure no one will blame him—and they’ll wake him up if things start heating up again anyway.

(They do, but the ten minutes of sleep he gets is apparently enough to set off his hangover, so Woohyun lets Sungyeol cling to him and whimper miserably while Sunggyu and Sungjong go over to join the others. “God, I sacrifice so much for you,” Woohyun says in a long-suffering tone as he helps Sungyeol up. Sungyeol makes a tiny noise of assent into his neck, squeezing his eyes shut.

“I can’t believe that in the end _I_ have to get a different room all because of your headache. I was here first.” Woohyun doesn’t really sound mad or anything, but he does sound pretty regretful. Sungyeol can empathise—someone over there is making Myungsoo moan really hard and if his head wasn’t hurting like a bitch he’d want to join in too.

“I’ll make it up to you when I’m better,” he promises, and Woohyun sighs, but looks a little more mollified as he leads Sungyeol out of the room, still limping occasionally.)


	10. Sunggyu/Woohyun - we're only dreaming [PG]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted [here](http://infinitememe.livejournal.com/3128.html?thread=472632#t472632) on infinitememe. This is a literal AU of Disney's Aladdin. 99% of the reason why I wrote this was for the magic carpet ride OTL. And, of course, the title is shamelessly taken from 'A Whole New World'. This is actually pretty long (more than 3k oops that's twice the usual word limit I impose on this series) but uh. I have no excuse. I just don't feel like posting it separately.

“I can tell you right now that this is a bad idea.”

Woohyun rolls his eyes at Sungyeol’s disapproving tone, fussily straightening his clothes in the mirror for the umpteenth time. God, silk clothes feel amazing. Woohyun can totally understand why those high-strung royals wear them now. “You just don’t want to admit that I look gorgeous in this. He’s not going to stand a chance.” Sungyeol snorts in reply, reaching over and tipping Woohyun’s hat off-centre. Ignoring him, Woohyun sets it right again and smiles brightly in the mirror. “You know, for all you’re the most insufferable genie I’ve ever met, you do have good fashion sense. Look at how this flatters my arms!”

“I am the _only_ genie you’ve ever met,” Sungyeol pronounces imperiously, “because if you’d met one before, you’d actually understand why this is an absolutely terrible idea. Look, magic is magic, but if you’re expecting to keep up a deception like this for longer than a few months—”

“Oh, be quiet. This is just my first wish. And I’m the best actor in the world, aren’t I, Dongwoo?” Woohyun croons at Dongwoo when he scampers up his arm, curling his tail around his shoulder. Dongwoo is much more pleasant company than Sungyeol—clearly, Sungyeol’s years in the lamp have not made him particularly agreeable.

“Best liar, you mean.” Sungyeol reaches over to pluck Dongwoo off him, ignoring Woohyun’s indignant squawk. (Why the hell is a million-year-old genie so obsessed with his pet monkey anyway?) “But whatever. If you won’t take the advice of your more world-wise, learned senior, that’s your problem. Don’t come crying for extra wishes when you need to fix this. And remember—”

“To free you. Don’t worry, I remember that. I don’t go back on my promises.” Woohyun turns back to the mirror to practice his smile again, sweeping an imaginary bow which, he thinks, passes as quite royally elegant. “Greetings, Your Highness. I am Prince Shin Woohyun from the kingdom of Chungook, here to steal your heart away.”

“Too forward. Not royal at all,” Sungyeol answers, sounding half-bored. “Do you have the remotest idea of courtly speech?”

“And do you?” Woohyun shoots back, but almost instantly regrets it when Sungyeol’s eyes light up with an evil glint. Cutting in quickly before Sungyeol has a chance to say anything, Woohyun adds, “Before you try to con me out of my next wish, the lessons should totally come as a package with the clothes, jewellery and castle. My wish was to be a proper prince, wasn’t it?”

Sungyeol’s face falls almost comically at that, and Woohyun can’t pretend he’s not cackling on the inside when Sungyeol disgustedly snaps his fingers and summons a perfectly-laid table. “Fine, you cheap little bastard. Let’s start with some basic rules of conduct and table manners, because I’m sure you have no concept of either. Lesson one: do not fucking smirk at me in that smarmy way. It’s not polite at all.” Woohyun immediately schools his face into the perfect smile, to which Sungyeol makes another face. “And that’s too flirty. Tone down the grease, you idiot.” Dongwoo chatters from where he’s snuggled in Sungyeol’s lap, looking too comfortable for his own good. Even his most trusted companion has betrayed him.

Woohyun sincerely hopes that putting up with Sungyeol’s irritating, pet-stealing self will actually help. He needs to be absolutely perfect for his prince.

-

Thankfully, Sungyeol’s lessons actually are worth something. Woohyun’s sure he has the court mesmerised when he presents himself; definitely a plus in his favour, because he can all but see the King’s approval. If only the prince was as easy to read.

Prince Sunggyu is definitely worth the trouble, though. Woohyun has known that from the very moment he first saw him. Alright, perhaps he’s never actually spoken to him, but that’s going to change now. Woohyun is going to _make_ it change. And the King, bless him, is definitely on his side. He actually agrees to let him speak privately to Sunggyu without making Woohyun jump through a million hoops—a very, very definite plus, Woohyun thinks in satisfaction. Sunggyu doesn’t look particularly thrilled, but Woohyun will take anything and everything he can get.

The moment the door closes behind them, though, Sunggyu rounds on him with narrowed eyes. Woohyun doesn’t even have a chance to turn on the charm before Sunggyu tells him, sharply, “No.”

Woohyun’s pretty sure he’s gaping openly at Sunggyu, but—they haven’t even been alone for ten seconds! He hasn’t even managed to smile at Sunggyu! Sunggyu can’t be rejecting already him already. He’s a second too late to launch into a hasty attempt at salvation before Sunggyu continues, crossing his arms while he regards Woohyun with a harsh glare. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I’m not going to be a part of it. Don’t think that just because you have my father and a few courtiers in your pocket that I’m going to marry you. I’m not marrying anyone—not you, not another prince or princess or noble, not even if you’re the fucking king of the world. I would greatly appreciate it if you would leave now before I have to remove you. Thank you.”

Woohyun is aware that he probably looks like a fish, but how is he supposed to react to that? (Besides the fact that somewhere deep, deep inside, he’s screaming at the way Sunggyu mixes informal and formal speech—and _curses_ —in a way that’s completely unlike the perfect prince he expected. Which is not something he should be thinking about right now.) “Your Highness,” he starts weakly, and gets an exasperated sigh in response.

“How many times—” Sunggyu breaks off, sighing again. He looks so frustrated that Woohyun has to forcefully tamp down on the urge to walk over and smooth those frown lines away from his forehead. The few moments of awkward silence are probably the worst thing Woohyun has ever had to wait through in his life, but he senses that if he tries to talk now, it won’t go over well. So he waits.

Sunggyu takes a deep breath, and he sounds significantly calmer when he next speaks. “My apologies, Prince, for being so direct. The topic of courtship is very—unpleasant to me. But have faith that I mean every word of what I said. I have no desire to court or be courted. The matter is best left alone.”

Woohyun’s almost disappointed by his reversion to court speech. He doesn’t have time to think of that, though; he has to patch this up before it gets any worse. “I am not merely here because I wish to court an unknown prince, Your Highness,” he says, keeping his tone light. Sunggyu huffs in disbelief at that.

“We have never met before. You know me as well as I know you—that is to say I do _not_ know you. May we leave it at that?”

Sunggyu is clearly intent on throwing him off, but Woohyun presses on. “I have known of you for quite a long while, although this is our first true meeting. This is a little forward, perhaps…” He can already hear Sungyeol’s disapproving screech echoing in his mind when he hears of this, but hell, this can hardly get much worse. “But I do believe I could love you.”

Sunggyu flinches visibly at that, and Woohyun’s not sure whether or not that’s a good thing. “Have more care with your words,” Sunggyu snaps. “The implications—”

“Are exactly what you and I think they are.” Woohyun chances a step forward, counting it as a victory when Sunggyu doesn’t recoil. “Call me a fool if you must, but even now, I hold to that belief. You are quite special, Your Highness. Why else would I attempt to court you when I would stand better chances elsewhere?” Sunggyu doesn’t reply to that. In a last ditch attempt, Woohyun drops the formalities, moving close enough that Sunggyu is just an arm’s reach away. “Sunggyu—I do respect what you say. If you don’t want to consider marriage, I would never force you into it. But would you give me a chance? Don’t call it courtship. I just want to show you that I can make you happy.”

Sunggyu is silent, eyes downcast. Woohyun’s waiting with bated breath, half-expecting Sunggyu to throw him out immediately. He definitely doesn’t expect the soft, breathy laugh, though the sound makes his heart skip.

“I don’t know whether you’re crazy or a fool. Maybe both.” Woohyun’s glad to see that, at least, Sunggyu isn’t bothering to be formal either. “You’re a good person, Woohyun. You deserve better than a man who only really wants to be left alone for the rest of his life. You already said—”

“I said that you were special. Didn’t you hear that?” Woohyun turns on his smile now, though inside he’s praying that he didn’t just completely blow any chance he had with Sunggyu by doing all this. He’s thrown Sungyeol’s long speeches about subtlety and manners out of the window and into the desert by now, unfortunately. “Or maybe it would be better if you let me show you.”

“What are you planning?” Sunggyu asks apprehensively. Woohyun’s grin widens.

“A magic carpet ride.”

Sunggyu stares at him, incredulous, but Woohyun takes advantage of his surprise to extend his hand towards him. Sunggyu is clearly still hesitant, but after a moment of staring at Woohyun’s outstretched hand, he slowly reaches to take it.

Forwardness, Woohyun decides, is clearly the better approach.

-

“You were serious?”

Sunggyu sounds sort of impressed, but mostly horrified. Woohyun makes a flourishing gesture towards the carpet hovering just above the balcony rail, never more pleased to own it. “Completely. After you, my prince.”

“Stop calling me that,” Sunggyu mutters shortly. He doesn’t get on. Deciding to take that as a cue, Woohyun climbs on first, settling down comfortably.

“Would you join me, Sunggyu?” He reaches his hand towards Sunggyu again, smiling at the way Sunggyu looks between him and the carpet like he can’t believe it. As before, though, Sunggyu takes his hand, letting Woohyun help him onto the carpet.

“This is the strangest thing I have ever done in my life,” Sunggyu mumbles, trying to find a decent midpoint between comfort and not sitting too close to Woohyun. To Woohyun’s satisfaction, Sunggyu eventually gives up and presses up against his side. Taking his chances, Woohyun slides his arm around him before whistling to his carpet.

He’s pretty sure he’s not imagining the squeak when the carpet soars higher and starts to glide forward, though it’s still at a leisurely pace. Woohyun knows he shouldn’t, but he can’t help laughing, pulling Sunggyu closer to him. “This will be amazing, I promise,” he tells him, noting how unconvinced Sunggyu looks.

“We’re getting higher off the ground,” Sunggyu says uneasily. Woohyun grins at him before whistling again, and the carpet starts picking up speed.

“That’s the whole point! We’re here to fly!” Sunggyu all but shrieks when the carpet dives forward and Woohyun breaks out into laughter again, whooping.

“Not funny!” Sunggyu yells, sounding so completely terrified that Woohyun would feel guilty if he wasn’t clinging so hard to Woohyun he thinks he’ll feel the imprints for the rest of his life. Woohyun reaches down to cover Sunggyu’s hand with his, grasping it.

“Come on, don’t be scared—I’m here. Open your eyes.” Sunggyu’s eyes are squeezed so tightly shut he can’t possibly see anything. “Don’t tell me now you’re afraid of heights.”

“You put me on a flying carpet in the sky and then you ask me?!” Sunggyu demands. “Yes! Now let me down, god!”

“I’ll do that if you open your eyes,” Woohyun promises, pulling him closer in reassurance. “Take a look, at least. Think about it—you’re flying!”

“I’m not, I’m on a carpet that feels like it’s about to tip me off any moment,” Sunggyu gasps. But slowly, slowly, Woohyun watches as he lets his eyes open just a sliver—and watches his face change when he takes in the picture around him. They’re high in the air now, higher than even the tallest tower of the royal palace; and the sunset is one of the most breathtaking that Woohyun has ever seen, gold and red and violet all at once. “Oh,” he whispers. The sheer awe contained in that word alone makes Woohyun smile. Sunggyu’s death grip on him is easing bit by bit. Reaching over to gently caress Sunggyu’s windblown hair, Woohyun gives him a few moments, holding him close.

“Do you still want to go back down?” Woohyun finally asks, after letting Sunggyu’s amazement sink in. This time there’s no hesitation in Sunggyu’s face; not even a hint of it.

“No.”

Woohyun smiles.

-

The ride lasts longer into the night than Woohyun intended. After he gets over his fear of the height, Sunggyu doesn’t hide his wonderment. To Woohyun, watching Sunggyu is as amazing as his own first ride. They spend hours picking out constellations and looking out over the cityscape before Woohyun reluctantly directs the carpet back to the palace, not particularly eager for the King to accuse him of kidnapping Sunggyu within his first day of courtship.

Even Sunggyu doesn’t seem entirely willing to get off, despite all his initial protests. Woohyun helps him off carefully, the solid ground beneath their feet a little strange after the prolonged ride. “So how was it?” Woohyun can’t help asking. Sunggyu’s hand is still in his; Woohyun covers it with his own, clasping it tightly with both his hands. “Did you like it?”

Woohyun’s heart almost stops when Sunggyu gives him an unexpected smile, reaching over to brush Woohyun’s hair back. Like Sunggyu’s, it’s still windswept from the ride, unkempt and hardly the perfect princely hair he fussed over for hours. That somehow makes the light touch even more meaningful. “It was nothing like I’ve ever felt before.” He laughs, and Woohyun thinks he could fall in love with Sunggyu just from that alone. “I’ll admit it, I’m glad you convinced me to give you that chance.”

“So I can court you?” Woohyun asks hopefully. Sunggyu glances away, but he doesn’t pull back.

“I never exactly said you couldn’t.”

Woohyun thinks he’s never heard sweeter words in his life. He’s probably grinning in the most undignified manner possible right now, but he can’t help it. He’s seen Sunggyu all of twice and known him for less than a day, but he knows he’s already falling in love with him. He’s not even sure how, but he knows. “I’m going to take that as a yes.” Lifting Sunggyu’s hand to his lips, he presses a quick kiss to the knuckles, glancing upwards discreetly to see how Sunggyu takes it. He’s surprised and pleased to see the light blush dusting Sunggyu’s cheeks—enough that it doesn’t even hurt when Sunggyu immediately jerks his hand away.

“Don’t get too cocky,” Sunggyu warns, and doesn’t even bother with a goodnight before he’s flouncing off, striding into the palace almost too quickly. Woohyun stares after him dreamily, still unable to stop himself from grinning like an idiot. Almost absently, he takes Sungyeol’s lamp out of his tunic, rubbing it with his sleeve. He just feels the absolute need to actually tell someone about what happened.

Sungyeol doesn’t mince words when he emerges, glaring at Woohyun scornfully. He doesn’t even give Woohyun a chance to say a word before he starts rambling, complete with hand gestures. “I can’t believe you! I give you this long talk about subtlety and not being too forward, and what do you do the very first time you talk to him properly? You drag him on the goddamn magic carpet and have him cling to you! And then you kiss his hand! Plus can we please talk about how this was a bad idea to begin with? Because you are _not_ a prince, Nam Woohyun, and how are you going to provide proof when you start getting serious and he demands relatives, or an actual kingdom, or just proof that I can’t possibly create because god knows it was bad enough that I magicked a castle for you! What do you have to say to that, huh?”

Woohyun smiles vaguely at Sungyeol, not really seeing him. He’s really not interested in what Sungyeol’s saying; all he can really think about is Sunggyu right now. “He was blushing.”

“You are disgustingly delusional,” Sungyeol groans. “I bet you didn’t hear a word of what I said. Pray that he doesn’t ask about your parents. I can’t create parents.”

“He smiled at me.”

“How are you going to discuss trade relations with your future father-in-law? ‘Oh, my kingdom doesn’t really exist, so it doesn’t produce anything of worth’? And how about the fact that your precious Sunggyu will probably not be very happy about the fact that you’re lying about your whole goddamn identity? You’re not really a prince, Woohyun! The magic can only make you seem like one! This can only end badly. Trust me for once.”

“I think he likes me, Sungyeol. Just a little bit.”

Sungyeol stares at him, and Woohyun thinks that he looks pensive, maybe even a little sad—but the expression is gone in the next second, so he figures he must have imagined it. It’s not a look that fits Sungyeol. “I’ve warned you, okay? Be careful, Woohyun. You know, I do quite like you, for all you’re an idiot. Don’t get hurt too badly.”

“I’ll be fine.” Woohyun feels like nothing in the world can hurt him right now. He sighs, still half-lost in the memory of Sunggyu’s smile. “I wonder where to bring him tomorrow.”

Sungyeol trails behind him while he gets on the carpet again, whistling to it. It’s not the same without Sunggyu, of course, but Woohyun thinks of tomorrow and everything’s okay again. He thinks it’s not impossible to make Sunggyu fall in love with him.


End file.
